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Topic Review (Newest First)

02-04-2011 09:13 AM

S10Fan

My Sears push mower used to start the first time every time. With today's gasoline I have to give it 3-4 pulls to get her going. Now I use a Harbor Freight hand pump to snag some gas out of my daily driver for the mower, the mower is back to starting the first time every time.

02-04-2011 08:42 AM

matt167

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldred

You would probably be better off using a torque drive (Northern has them) instead of a centrifugal clutch if you are going to use an engine that big. The clutch would work ok by itself but the torque drive would be much better IMO even with being a bit more complicated. If you decide to use the clutch simply select the one with a bore size to fit the crankshaft diameter of the engine you use then use an axle sprocket and chain of the same tooth pitch, the size of the sprocket will depend on wheel diameter and to a lesser extent the weight of the Kart.

Keep in touch and let us know how it is working out and I am sure someone here will be able to help with any problems you may encounter.

Yep. Cent clutches are really only good to about 5-6 hp even tho most times, there rated to 8hp. They will work, but create extra heat.. torque converter actually provides gearing

02-04-2011 08:22 AM

35WINDOW

Quote:

Originally Posted by matt167

I think Airens builds the JD snow throwers...

I run a John Deere Dealership (Ag and Construction)-we are also an Ariens Dealer. You are partially correct-Ariens USED to build the John Deere SnowBlowers. John Deere exited the SnowBlower business for two Years (in about, oh, 2004 or so). We were so happy with the Ariens Blowers that I took on the Ariens line, and continue to sell/service them over the John Deere (and oh boy, my Deere guy doesn't like me about this). Great Blowers, and I, for one, am glad that the Tecumseh engine is no longer being produced, although most of the problems it had were operator induced .

As for the current John Deere SnowBlower, they are being produced by Briggs and Stratton (which also produces the Deere Generators, Pumps and Pressure Washers)-this is a conundrum for me, as how does a manufacturer of engines compete directly against it's Customers? Anyway, back to your regularly scheduled discussion-

02-03-2011 05:00 PM

oldred

You would probably be better off using a torque drive (Northern has them) instead of a centrifugal clutch if you are going to use an engine that big. The clutch would work ok by itself but the torque drive would be much better IMO even with being a bit more complicated. If you decide to use the clutch simply select the one with a bore size to fit the crankshaft diameter of the engine you use then use an axle sprocket and chain of the same tooth pitch, the size of the sprocket will depend on wheel diameter and to a lesser extent the weight of the Kart.

Keep in touch and let us know how it is working out and I am sure someone here will be able to help with any problems you may encounter.

Airens is the only snowblower I know of that is not MTD built and they use B&S engines.. I think Airens builds the JD snow throwers.. Snow Tek is Airens budget line, and uses Lifan engines but there otherwise the same..

The budget line Cub Cadet push mower is a MTD painted yellow with $100 more on the sticker price for an electric start.. I bought 1 of the MTD's a couple years ago. found it very hard to start, but did run ok, just didn't work all that well.. took it back to TSC a day or so later, and bought a Briggs NOS 3.5 hp to repower my '72 Squire Applegate pusher. only 20" cutting path, but it has a 2 peice snail deck and a very tight clearence for the blade. that allows it to cut very neatly and shoots/ spreads the clippings about 10'

As for all my outdoor power equipment that I keep in service.. it is all 30+ years old..

Yours has a CHOKE? Maybe you should have gotten one with the CHOCK instead!

02-01-2011 10:33 AM

jessebelle

mtd stuff

hey irelands child-jessebelle here- i know mtd has been around a while, they must've given some serious money to troy built to buy them out. but if you pay your foreign help 22 cents per hour, quite a profit. we have 6" of fresh snow right now, i looked this thing over quite well, all seems to be in place correctly, it still is very inept at doing it's intended task, and i don't want to be the one using it when it fails, been there, done that. so i'm doing the driveway area for them. i have a 25.50 hp kubota 4wd diesel tractor, hst trans. my 2nd one, the other being an 18 hp. without a doubt the finest machine i have owned. my last one had 1000 hrs. on it when i traded it for the bx2660, no oil leaks-no failures of any kind-no oil consumption. but i take very good care of my equiptment, oil changes at 50 hours, etc. it spins a 4' roto tiller through an acre of garden like nothing, i mow 1.50 acres weekly, move snow as required with loader or back blade, it seems the list is unending, except the fuel usage is minimal as well. the frame and undercarriage are thick, the loader is very quick, strong. probably the 1st thing i've owned that i have no complaints about, and very easy on the operator. gotta go move more snow. later

02-01-2011 10:17 AM

Irelands child

So far the only thing wrong with my 6Hp HF engine is that I have to keep the choke about half on for it to run right - someday I might try to find out why, but not yet. It always starts with one or two pulls - and throws snow a lot better then the so called 8Hp(?) POS Tecumseh it replaced that seldom ran without many bad words even with the electric starter

02-01-2011 10:03 AM

oldred

Since this thread was started I did get around to buying one of those engines and although the thing may be from the same Chinese manufacturer as the Cub lawn mower engine it is a LONG way from the same quality. The little Cub lawn mower I have has been a jewel even with that Chinese engine, starts instantly every time and has many trouble free hours on it now it is in fact the best mower I have ever owned. The HF "Grey Hound" engine is,well not so good. I built a wood splinter last year and those things were again on sale, this time I got there before they sold out but I have mixed feelings about whether that was good fortune or not. First to the engine's credit it starts easily and has not been a problem at all in that respect plus it has more than the 6 1/2 HP IMO and as far as power goes it is a brute so what is not to be happy about? I just can't keep the thing in one piece! It does vibrate quite a bit (yes I do have it mounted properly) and things constantly fall off or worse yet break off. It leaks gas terribly around the gas cap if the tank is over half full, the clip that locks the gas cap down fell off because the spot welds were nothing more than heat stains, the whole carburetor mounting bracket fell off a couple of times before it finally broke and I just made a whole new assembly, various bolts/fasteners, etc are constantly coming loose and the low oil shut off will kill the engine unless the crankcase is overfilled with oil, took me a while to figure that one out! I have to tilt the engine back in order to get enough oil in it to make it run properly and that requires nearly 1/2 again more than it calls for. All in all I have not been impressed too much with it but like I said the darn thing is powerful and keeps on chugging, just keep your tools handy and be ready to reassemble the loose/missing parts every time it is used.

02-01-2011 06:35 AM

Irelands child

You will find that most of the snow blowers today are built by MTD or a few by Murray. Even the 15 year old Agway that I have is an MTD (with a Harbor Freight engine). It too has a partial plastic chute and is made out of too light gauge steel IMO. It will throw snow 20-40 feet though, depending on the amount of moisture as long as the auger shear pins are intact and the inner wheel is tight - did you check them? If it's new, it has a Briggs & Stratton engine (or a cheap foreign substitute) as Tecumseh junkers are ...... thankfully, gone.

I really like my diesel powered tractor with the 48" thrower instead of that little 24" when it get really nasty - like today

Dave W

02-01-2011 06:15 AM

jessebelle

trot built snowblower

they had flooded the engine badly, after i got it going, and used it, i advised them to return it, based on my opinion of it's poor quality. these people are office worker's, no mechanical knowledge. they want to keep it, their decision. i showed them how to properly start it, it now fires on the 1st pull, but it must sit there and run at 1/2 choke for at LEAST 8 to 10 minutes before the choke can be opened fully. of course there are no carb adjustments, etc. i expect many failures with this, no matter where it was purchased.

Why would anyone work on a brand new piece of equipment if it was faulty?
Lowes has an excellent return policy... one that I sure as heck would be using.

02-01-2011 05:11 AM

jessebelle

troy built(mtd) scrap/p.o.s.

my neighbor recently bought a troy built(mtd) snowblower, $600.00, plus tax at lowe's. unable to get it running. i finally got it running, just the worst example of engineering that could/should exist. i used it on 3" of fine powdery snow, it managed to throw it 2' maximum. and that was on my smooth concrete driveway. the chute and the lower chute ring are plastic, yep-plastic. the metal is not 11 ga. thick, thinner. i'd give it a life expectancy of forever, provided it does not get used, and just beats you up to use it. i have a troy built roto tiller(made in troy n.y.), it is 24 years old, 5.0 h.p. b&s motor, starts/runs perfectly, must have 10k hours on it by now, much of it is cast iron. i have rebuilt the carb twice on it, ($4.00 in parts). mtd bought out many companys, away we go to china/korea/v.nam/india, etc. having done considerable work on small motors/equiptment, stay away from mtd. pure junk. i'd be willing to buy that snowblower for $100.00, then hopefully sell it for $200.00, but i guess i would'nt want to screw anyone that bad.

01-31-2011 04:13 PM

oldred

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brevinshea

Hey guys, I want to build a go kart and does anybody know where I can get a clutch from?